“This is a savage budget, an economically illiterate budget and a budget that attacks low and middle income earners.

“The Minister told us the worst is over. Tell that to the families whose Child Benefit has been cut tonight. Tell it to the unemployed young people whose welfare has been cut by half.

“This Budget is anti-children, anti-young people and anti-jobs.

“The most vulnerable are being punished for the sins of the very wealthy and their political cronies in this Government who have wrecked the Irish economy.

“This Budget imposes prescription charges for medical card holders, it increases the threshold for the Drug Payment Scheme, meaning sick people will have to pay more for their medicines.

“Not only is there no jobs strategy in this Budget, it is anti-jobs because it takes many millions out of the pockets of ordinary families and out of the economy.

“The Minister spoke of the last big push and a return to growth. He is deluding himself and trying to delude the people. We have over 423,000 people unemployed, an increase of over 146,000 in one year. Many of these are young people and he is cutting their payments to €100 per week.

“There was an alternative approach for this Government to take which was put forward by Sinn Féin. It was an alternative which would have seen the economy on the road to recovery based on fair and equitable measures. Instead what we got was a savage budget from an economically illiterate Government that can only lead to further ruin.” ENDS